Monday Reading-Book Wonders!

               Sheila at Book Journeys started It's Monday! What are you Reading?, a meme where bloggers share recent books read.

             Then, Jen of Teach Mentor Texts and Ricki and Kellee at Unleashing Readers started one with a children's focus.  It's great discovering what everyone has been reading!  Thank goodness my library has most of the books I want to read, although I do purchase a few now and then (tehe). Thanks Jen, Ricki and Kellee for hosting us.

Tweet at #IMWAYR

From Pinterest: "Reading is breathing for the mind."

Mattland – story by Hazel Hutchins and Gail Herbert, art by Dusan Petricic

            A young boy named Matt has moved three times, and his thoughts are that this is the worst place of all-no grass, trees, only rocks and dirt. And now it’s been raining, and there is mud and puddles. The story shows Matt imagining a place, and as he imagines, he builds a town, with the rocks as mountains, a stick making an indentation that creates a stream, which flows to a lake. A far off huge puddle becomes the ocean. Soon another child appears and adds to the town. It’s a wonderful story of kids and creativity with what is found.

The Farmer and the Clown – written and illustrated by Marla Frazee

           One doesn’t need words to enjoy this sweet story of a little clown who falls off the circus train, and is found by a farmer. Whatever comes your way, it seems that if you face it with kindness and generosity, good things will happen. There is an ending that both surprises and satisfies. Marla Frazee’s illustrations invite the reader especially to smile as well as cry with the characters, and enjoy the action.

Hug Machine - written and illustrated by Scott Campbell   

            I don’t know the hug machine’s name, but guess “hug machine” is enough, because the whole day through, he manages to hug nearly everyone and everything. You can look online and see many benefits of receiving hugs, and this young boy seems to know that, and finally, finally receives a hug himself at the very end of the day. It’s a celebration of hugs, and portrayed beautifully throughout the book, and in the endpapers. I smiled all the way through!

Sam & Dave Dig A Hole – written by Mac Barnett, and illustrated by

Jon Klassen

             Many have been talking about this book, about its fresh ideas, and the dilemma of deciding just what did happen at the end. I enjoyed the adventure, the possibility of the action. It’s going to be terrific to share and see what kids think, too. These two artists show in unique ways what imagination can create, if we only give it a chance.

Fall Mixed Up - – written by Bob Raczka, and illustrated by Chad Cameron

               I wish I’d had this a few weeks ago so I could share it with many classes, but all of November may still be enough time. It is the most fun, filled with short poems that imagine what this favorite season would be “all mixed up”. For example: “Bears gather nuts./Geese hibernate. Squirrels fly south in/big figure eights.” At the end, the words urge readers to return to find all the things that really are not right. Very fun book to giggle over.

Still Reading/still wonderful:  The Boys in the Boat, Nine Americans and their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Olympics by Daniel James Brown.  Next: I'm taking quite a few books I own into my class that should be read instead of sitting at home, so will probably choose one of those that isn't chosen by the students.